virus: Re: our obligations

Ken Pantheists (kenpan@lurchinvault.com)
Sat, 12 Jul 1997 16:33:25 +0000


Tim:
>Richard, please explain why making memes accessible isn't conducive
>to their distribution in the memesphere.

Richard:
My work is extremely accessible, it's just not FREE. If I thought giving
it away would make it spread faster, I'd give it away.
*************************************************************

This is a great point.

Memes that cost money to obtain are more virulent. Nike's probably
wouldn't be as desirable a commodity if they were $2.99

And I know (before you say it Tim) that this has to do with the larger
dominant memes of money and making profit. So, to be more accurate, the
virulence actually works in tandem with the dominant commerce meme in
order to prove the meme's "worth".

(I did not make a mental nasal inflection while writing this, so please
don't take it as a "whine")

A darker illustration of this is found in the fact that money represents
resources that are held by some and denied to others. A model that
focusses too closely on memes only without looking at the resources that
support them provides only a sliver of the picture (IMHO). An extreme
example: a meme will transmit more quickly if you also point a gun in
the recipient's face while your transmitting it. Amway parties are
often held on wealthy estates. Gold and jewells are in plain sight
during a catholic mass.

-- 
Regards
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